MAINE, USA — If you're a parent of a young child, there's a good chance you've heard of Ms Rachel. She started posting videos a few years ago but just recently has become one of the most clicked-on personalities on the internet.
Her maiden name is Rachel Griffin and her married name is Rachel Griffin-Accurso. The former Maine public school teacher posts educational videos for kids.
"My son inspired the whole thing, as I am sure you can understand being a parent," Griffin-Accurso said. "He had a speech delay, and I thought it would be great if there was a show that was slow paced and interactive and used some of the tactics that his speech therapist was using to get him talking. I thought this would be great on a show."
Each week, she and her husband, Aron, who has a background on Broadway, work on curriculum and lesson plans and then display their work for the masses. She has quite a following, with each video picking up tens if not hundreds of millions of views.
"We thought maybe we would help a few kids. We were so surprised when we had so many families contacting us, and I think it's a still a shock when I am walking down the sidewalk and someone says, 'Hi Ms Rachel!'" she said. "I think we are still surprised it turned into being a classroom filled with millions of kids."
Griffin-Accurso, who was born in Biddeford, grew up in Sanford, and went to the University of Southern Maine, has had to get used to her newfound fame. As you gain popularity, you sacrifice anonymity.
"The 'why' behind our company is so strong: being a parent of a child who wanted to communicate and could not figure it out," she explained. "And just, the 'why' behind us wanting to help kids and parents [in ways] that really help parents succeed ... Without that, I would be really overwhelmed right now, so I keep coming back to the 'why.'"
"Every day, we just talk about how we get to be helpful to families," she added. "And we have never had this as our dream, but it is better than we could have ever dreamed."
When she's not preparing content for her worldwide audience, Ms Rachel is working on getting a second master's degree in education and early childhood.